Sand and Ashes: Scarab Multipliers and Desert Storms

Sand and Ashes is a Hacksaw Gaming slot released on 14 May 2026. It pays on paylines and is set on the Nile, where a lion-hearted warden of the sands has one last mission before eternal rest: defending the treasury from a threat rising on the horizon.

The game is built around one symbol, the Wild Scarab Multiplier. Every Scarab that lands starts a respin and carries a multiplier, and two weather effects, Firestorms and Sandstorms, either grow those multipliers or shift them across the reels.

Two bonus games are triggered by FS scatter symbols: Desert Fury with 3 and Storming Sphinx with 4. Hacksaw's game page lists no third, hidden bonus for this one, so those two rounds are the whole bonus set.

Hacksaw Gaming lists four RTPs for Sand and Ashes: 96.27%, 94.21%, 92.30% and 86.19%. They are separate versions of the game, and the one loaded is stated in the game's rules, which is worth checking before assuming the top figure applies.

As an illustration, the 96.27% version is designed to return 96.27 units per 100 staked across a very long run of play, against 86.19 for the lowest version. Any single session can land well above or below both.

Volatility is rated 3 / 5, the middle of Hacksaw's scale and lower than many of the studio's releases. The max win is 10,000x the bet. Hacksaw does not publish a hit rate, grid size, payline count or bet range on the game page, so those are left out here.

When a Wild Scarab Multiplier lands it triggers a respin. Each one lands with a multiplier of up to 200x, and the respins continue until a respin produces no new Scarab.

The multiplier applies to every payline the Scarab is part of during the respin sequence, not just one line. Because the Scarab is a Wild, it can complete several paylines at once, and each of those wins takes its multiplier.

Hacksaw's summary of the game says a Scarab can apply a multiplier of up to 999x on the payline wins it is part of. That is well above the 200x landing value, and the feature that raises values on the grid is the Firestorm described below.

The respin chain is the heart of the base game. One Scarab buys one more look at the grid; every extra Scarab extends it, so a run of them keeps the multipliers in play for longer.

During the respins there is a chance that a Firestorm or a Sandstorm activates before any new symbols land. Neither is guaranteed, and each does a different job.

A Firestorm increases the multiplier values of all Wild Scarab Multipliers on the grid at once. With several Scarabs in place, one Firestorm lifts every one of them, and those higher values then apply to the paylines each Scarab touches.

A Sandstorm nudges all symbols one reel to the left. Hacksaw notes that this moves every Wild Scarab Multiplier on the grid too, which can line them up with symbols they were not touching before and create new winning paylines.

Taken together, Firestorms make the Scarabs worth more and Sandstorms give them a new position to pay from, and both arrive only while a respin sequence is running.

Desert Fury needs 3 FS symbols landing at the same time and awards 8 free spins with a higher chance of landing Wild Scarab Multipliers. More Scarabs means more respins and more chances for Firestorms and Sandstorms to fire.

Storming Sphinx needs 4 FS symbols and awards 10 free spins with persistent Wild Scarab Multipliers. Persistent means the Scarabs stay on the grid rather than clearing, so the multipliers they carry remain in play across the round instead of lasting only for one respin sequence.

Hacksaw does not list a bonus buy for Sand and Ashes on its game page, so both rounds are reached by landing scatters in the base game.

The free Sand and Ashes demo on this page runs the game with play credits. Watch the value on each Scarab as it lands, then whether a Firestorm or a Sandstorm fires before the next respin.

Note how many paylines each Scarab sits on after a Sandstorm nudge, since its multiplier covers all of them. In Storming Sphinx, keep an eye on how the persistent Scarabs build up over the 10 spins.

A 3 / 5 volatility rating means the swings should be milder than Hacksaw's top-rated games, but a demo session still shows how the features behave, not what any future spin will pay.

Other Hacksaw Gaming titles covered on Slotscritic: Epic SixSixSix, Coffee Dealer, The Jade Path Hold & Win, Demonic Dolls, Wicked Grin and Le Vampire.

What is the RTP of Sand and Ashes?

Hacksaw Gaming lists four RTPs for Sand and Ashes: 96.27%, 94.21%, 92.30% and 86.19%. Each is a separate version of the game, and the one running is stated in its rules. The 96.27% version is designed to return the most over a very long run of play, but RTP says nothing reliable about one session.

What is the max win on Sand and Ashes?

The max win on Sand and Ashes is 10,000x the bet, according to Hacksaw Gaming. Big results depend on Wild Scarab Multipliers, which land with values up to 200x, can be raised by Firestorms, and apply to every payline the Scarab is part of. Hacksaw's summary puts the multiplier ceiling on payline wins at 999x.

What volatility is Sand and Ashes?

Hacksaw Gaming rates Sand and Ashes 3 / 5 for volatility, the middle of its scale. That is lower than many Hacksaw releases, so the game is pitched between steady and swingy. The studio does not publish a hit rate on the game page, so how often a spin wins is best judged in the demo.

How do you trigger the Sand and Ashes bonus games?

Land FS scatter symbols at the same time. Three award Desert Fury, 8 free spins with a higher chance of landing Wild Scarab Multipliers. Four award Storming Sphinx, 10 free spins in which the Wild Scarab Multipliers are persistent and stay on the grid. Hacksaw's game page lists no third bonus game.

Can you play the Sand and Ashes demo for free?

Yes. The Sand and Ashes demo on this page runs Hacksaw Gaming's game with play credits, so you can watch Scarab respins, Firestorms and Sandstorms without staking money. It is the same paylines slot Hacksaw released on 14 May 2026, with a 3 / 5 volatility rating and a 10,000x max win.